


Home

by yachiyosan



Category: New Prince of Tennis - Fandom, PoT - Fandom, Prince of Tennis, Tenipuri - Fandom, tennis no oujisama
Genre: Gen, Takeshi Konomi, for once tezuka just stays at home and takes a break like he deserves to, sometime i go i fell into tenipuri hell and i never made it back
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-26
Updated: 2019-06-26
Packaged: 2020-05-20 10:17:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19374685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yachiyosan/pseuds/yachiyosan
Summary: A Sunday where Tezuka Kunimitsu came down with a fever that could have been avoided, and how it stirred a sense of homesickness within him.  If there is anything at all that Tezuka Kunimitsu is bad at, it’s doing nothing. On one particular Sunday, he did just that. And for whatever reason, it felt right.





	Home

It was a childhood composed of street gutters filled with flowing streams and paper boats racing against each other. They were days of youth where he could summon rain and felt thunder without fear. Then he came home to naggings that he must bath that instant and finished greeted by rice porridge. He would eat hurriedly, hardly minding the food being still slightly too hot. Then he’d rush to the living room knowing his favourite cartoon will be on soon.

“The remote….?” he mumbled eyes closed, letting his arm do the search for wherever the loud beeping noise was coming from. After few more seconds, it dawned to him that he was dreaming. Tezuka turned the alarm off and right away formatted his mind to review the list of things he had to finish for that day. Drawing a deep breath, he got up.

The usual.

Only that it didn’t take him long to realize that his legs lacked strength. It was a struggle. Even just making his way to the washroom weighed difficult. Still, he carried on, reasoning that by the time he’s done washing his face and getting ready, his body would also eventually wake up and the lethargies in his system would fade. The mirror seemed more than glad to prove him wrong. His complexion looked god awful. And as much as he’d hate to admit it, the morning rain was most certainly not the reason for his shivering. He searched through his drawers for a thermometer, his mind chanting “please…” as he tensely waited for the device to beep, partly wishing it wouldn’t anymore. Ignorance is a bliss.

But a las, it did, reading: 37°C.

… _Great._

  
It wasn’t that it was so out of nowhere, though. Or that he didn’t know. Because he knew, and he knew he should have known better.

Yesterday, the weather forecast clearly announced the arrival of a heavy rain to pour around late afternoon. This was further be confirmed by the gloomy clouds and children in their duck-patterned raincoats, eagerly waiting for the rain. Despite downpour being heavy, Tezuka figured that it shouldn’t last too long, thirty minutes or so and it should begin letting up. Good. He stopped his run near a waiting shed anyway, it should be the ideal opportunity let his body rest. The choice was obvious: rest and wait. He knew this.  
But just before the heavens broke into a heavy outburst, and as the children’s gleeful roar with the thunder became bolder, a much older man rushed to seek shelter in the shed with him. He and Tezuka exchanged a polite smile, acknowledging each other’s presence. Tezuka judged him to be the guardian of the children cheering for the rain, an observation soon confirmed to be true with the man’s sigh of complaint.

  
“Ah, geez, you children sure can be a pain sometimes.” His tone hinted annoyance, but his small smile gave away that it was said with so much fondness. And so, Tezuka couldn’t emphasize this enough: he knew better. But he had just been referred to as a child, and it brought along a surge of childish whim within him. And, without really thinking, he followed it. On impulse, he found himself jogging back to his dorm fully convinced that he’ll make it back even before the first rain drop. Clearly, of course, he didn’t.

  
Was it the children calling for rain? Was it that he was seen as a child? Whatever the reason may be, he deemed it inexcusable. If the childish whim then, for a fracture of second, made him feel invincible, now he just felt so… irresponsible.  
It didn’t help that the list of things he had to do were all written according to a strict schedule. Guilt began brooding; but even that he couldn’t afford to deal with now. And so, setting his own feelings of self-blame aside, he decided to push reflecting for later that night. For now, he had to do his morning run. He grabbed his jacket, careful to wear another layer underneath.

  
But just before he’s out the door, his phone rang. He felt troubled. But it was a call Tezuka would pick up. Always. No matter what.

He cleared his throat before answering, mindful not to let even a single cough out. “…Mom.”

“Kunimitsu…” she spoke, so softly that he could feel his just hardened resolve to put up a strong façade begin to weaken. And as it did, Tezuka gradually began to feel the fatigue that he has been trying to supress. “How have you been?” she followed.

“Good. I’ve been well,” he answered, immediately following it up with “How about everyone?” in hope to divert the question away from himself.

“Everyone’s been well,” she reassured. “Ah, but it’s a shame that your dad and grandfather went fishing. They would have loved to hear your voice, too.”

  
It took a while; at first, after his departure to Germany, over-pouring phone calls came each day. Now, though, it seems everyone has re-adjusted and returned to their usual ease. Fishing. Tezuka felt relieved to hear that. He felt glad that the activity isn’t such a distant thing, that although they are away, they are still doing the usual – something that he knows, something that he was often part of. It helped him vividly picture how they’re doing, and it made him feel like there isn’t way too much that he’d missed out on when he comes home.

She then followed, “ah, but how about you, really?

The question earned a pause – one that people do when they search through their mind before speaking. He then picked up, “I… gained weight”

“Ah…”

A small… and most likely a trivial thing of no importance to some. But hearing it filled her heart with so much joy that all she could manage was a, “ah… is that so…?” in a voice so tender as if it’s about crack.

“Mhm…” he hummed in response, lengthy elaborating on how well he’s been lately. “So there is no need to worry,” he reassured. Tezuka has always been good at most things, she figured that includes knowing the right words to say to coax her into not worrying. If so, it sure worked.

She picked up shortly after, however, sensing something in his too well of an elaboration. “You…” she called out, “you’re not sick, are you?”

And it so happens that her son being good at most things didn’t include lying. Feeling cornered, he finally fessed up. “I… might have a fever.”

Ah, right. _Of course._

  
Like this. He has always been that kind of child, hasn’t he? Like in elementary, when he participated in the school race, he went home announcing that he got a high score in their test; to make them proud, partly, but mostly in attempt to hide his scraped knees. Or that time he came home from his first field trip, saying how the food they were taught to make made him so full, without ever a mention of her forgetting to actually put his packed lunch in his bag. And then, not too long ago, him one day insisting to, from then on, do all of the household chores for her, intending to reassure her that he can manage on his own in Germany somehow, hoping to make her worry as less as possible.

Sometimes even she wonders what her own son is trying to prove; because if it was independence, he has already proven it a long time ago – flawlessly so, in an age so young that she sometimes aches for him to be more childish.

“It just… it rained.” He added.

“And…? She questioned, just about to let out a chuckle. “What… you got rained on?”

“Because…” he evidently struggled. She could bet that his brows might even be furrowed right now. This time, not out of intent to hide anything but just purely out of shyness. And she understood. She always understood. Still, to her, it meant so much to hear him say it out loud. It was out of his usual character, ridiculous, and so silly of him that it filled her heart with warmth.

“It’s just…” he resumed awkwardly, clumsily. Eventually, somehow, he managed – “being in the rain looked fun.”

“I—” she began, interrupted by her own chuckle. He had choices. But of all things to say to make his own mother not worry, he chose the least practical reason. And without doubt, it worked best. With utmost affection, she teased, “goodness, are you a child?”

That drew him to smile, only humming in response, words falling inadequate to express the sense of comfort swirling inside him.

“Tomorrow,” she strained, “take a day off.”

  
That wasn’t the plan. He had a list of things to do, now still not a single one done. And tomorrow, he inwardly reviewed, he’s supposed to try out a new training program. He shouldn’t – he tried to resolve. But before he could protest, she encouraged that they switch to a video call, saying she’ll teach him how to make rice porridge for him to eat.  
Maybe it was the fever. Maybe being sick sometimes naturally comes with the longing to be spoiled…? Or maybe it was the dark clouds, the low lulls of thunder, and the early morning rain all conspiring against him, making the weather feel colder than usual that Tezuka found himself craving to bask in this warmth.

All prior resolve began melting.

_“Okay.”_

 

 

* * *

A heavy rain, heavens hued with dark clouds. Ample of tasks to do, none accomplished. For years now, that wall stood so high. But that early morning, fifth of August, Tezuka Kunimitsu let his guard down. And it graced him sight that he’d just fully realized he misses so much.

_Home._

**Author's Note:**

> probably the main inspiration for this is the canon info that tezuka gained weight recently and it filled up my heart so much because yes???!! you are taking care of yourself and you're eating well!!! basically it confirmed that i will always love him what a loser 
> 
> if you gave this fanfic even a glace, i am so thankful. really. thank you so much for reading!


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